Communions ditch brooding punk for triumphant power-pop on Blue

In 2011, a teenage band of Danish pretty-punks calling themselves Iceage took the indie rock world by storm. Its first album, New Brigade, felt distinctly innovative, assisting in a wave of punk appreciation that followed. When Iceage first came to the United States, it did so mysteriously—sparking even more interest—inspiring a lot of American music fans to beg the question: If these guys came from Copenhagen, what else is out there? The answer is a lot, and it’s not all of a certain brooding genre. Fellow Danes Communions exemplify this, and on their debut album Blue, prove that power-pop never goes out of style.

That wasn’t always the case: Communions got their start in 2014 with their Cobblestones EP via Copgenhagen label Posh Isolation (it’s partially run by Lust For Youth’s Loke Rahbek, who has been in many projects with the Iceage guys—it’s a small scene). The release was noisy and distorted, haze layered on top of distinctly melodic euro-pop songwriting. The next year, they released a self-titled EP that began peeling back the fuzz. In many ways, they became a post-punk act but one attracted to ascending harmonies. On Blue, they’ve finally found their footing, but it’s been a long and slow transformation to get here. Communions has become a pop band, and it’s the band they were supposed to be all along.